Why give the socialists the results of any more work, just so they can use the results to enslave us further. I am kind of done with all this. Time to shrug.

You are so right! It is critical that children understand the diversity in the development of the complete table, and particularly these man made elements that last at least 7 femtoseconds! So much more important than understanding ionic/covalent bonding, acids/bases, the significant of Avogadro's number or ideal gas laws.

Would that be in the best interest of the companies that provide the textbooks? If so, common sense will prevail. If not...let's require the schools/kids buy each updated text.

I've become rather cynical in my old age.

While there are some notable exceptions, most well-educated scientists (at least the ones I know) are rather quite left-leaning. To such people, nothing would be more "correctly-aligned thought" and "socialistically proper" to immortalize "the anointed dear leader" with its name on the one thing that is guaranteed to transcend history - the Periodic Table.

Then again, I understand North Korea claims that the world acknowledges their unparalleled success at discovery of all the elements above 109 on the Table... that's why they all begin with "Un..."

Agreed on that point. That was my disappointment after my initial excitement.

What's the point of "elements" that last only for fractions of a second? Perhaps scientists should coin a new term other than "existence" for these -- whatever they are. How about "Shadow Elements." You could call them Lamontium, Cranstonium, Shadowium, and existnotium.

It would be good to have an adequate description of these new elements in order so that we great unwashed could understand their significance.

Appears elementary that updating science books should be held off until that is fixed.

Pardon my crass engineer's outlook, but these ultra-heavy elements can only be created in atom colliders in nanogram quantities and only last for microseconds. What practical use are they? The Guardian article kept saying the elements were "discovered". That is wrong. They were "created".

No Trumpium?

LOL

The thing that always gets me about these is that it's all for bragging rights: there is no practical value in these ultra-heavy elements as they exist for only fractions of seconds.

Thanks, but I'm much more interested in subatomic particles.

Let's see... Here's my guesses as to the new names:
Kobayashium, Obamium, Putinium, and Imperium. At least until they realize the results of the discoveries were flawed, and they actually ended up with elements 121, 122, 126, and 134.

As soon as they get the politics straightened out on that issue, I imagine they will. :)

I sure hope they fix these names and dump the messy three letter abbreviations!

Yes, the Roman Catholics had their turn, too, and I suspect they'd love another shot.

I understand completely. It was in high school that I fully developed my disdain for all things socialist - although, at the time, I didn't quite grasp that it was socialist. I assumed it was a Roman Catholic thing.

That explains my hair at least ;^)
I had that kind of socialist "logic" applied to my modest (but hard fought and earned) accomplishments in high school.
Guess the wound from that lesson in socialism hasn't healed completely, and never will.

I've found that, in order to keep the hair on my head, there are times I have to ignore the politics. I found the discoveries themselves to be exciting. :)

The naming process struck me as absurd.

"The exact reasons for IUPAC’s decision to award 113 to the Japanese team should become clear in 2016 when the details of the research are released."

Mustn't let the Russian and US scientists get all the honors. Tax their discoveries at 25% and give it to the Asian scientists because they have never been honored.
F$%^ing Socialist Politics, NOT science!